Yakimochi hen
by Jane Poirot
Summary: Jealousy chapter. Has Mion really never killed anyone? Has there not been a world where she, too, fell victim to the parasite which convinced her that she was losing the person she held dear to her own friends?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. This idea has been lingering with me for some time now, and now here it is. I wish I could say this story is rated M for citric fruits, but alas—it is rated M for "Higurashi" reasons. Not now, but later on. And as this pre-dates Matsuriyabashi-hen, don't expect a happy ending.

Also, this is a self-imposed "Halloween challenge": To see if I can finish this fic by the time Halloween rolls around. I don't plan on this being an epic, but it will be long enough to be finished by the end of the month. Wish me luck!

* * *

_What is it that I seek?  
Perhaps it is a knight from a far away land._

_What is it that I seek?_  
_Perhaps it is a shore that will save me from this eternal swamp._

_There is only one thing that I seek._  
_What I would obtain will either be the shore, or my death._

-Frederica Bernkastel

Mion lay on the bed and closed her eyes. The only touch she could feel was the soft, fluffy feeling of the blankets beneath her fingers. The only sight she could see, if she were to open her eyes, was the bedroom ceiling.

The only emotion she could feel was jealousy.

She opened her eyes and sat up. She looked over at the closet, realizing a hand was sticking out. She got off the bed and ran over to shove the hand back inside and shut the door all the way. For a minute, she panicked—was she still alive? Had she succeeded in killing her after all? Or had she only been knocked out?

And when she regained consciousness…would she take her revenge?

No. She couldn't be alive. Mion had sworn she had succeeded in killing her. Admittedly, she hadn't arrived with the intention to kill her, but all the same, if she hadn't done it, then who was to say the dead girl in the closet wouldn't?

They were all out to get her. Mion just knew it. They all resented her happiness, and they all planned to take away the one thing that made her the happiest person in the world.

So far, one part of the competition had been eliminated.

As for the others…

Mion got under the covers and thought, _Yes…the others can wait a bit longer._

For now…she would sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

1

The cries of the cicadas rang through Mion's ears as she hopped on her bike and rode down the path that would lead her to the house of Maebara Keiichi. Ever since he moved to Hinamizawa a few months ago, she'd been growing closer to him every day. Well, not just Mion—Rika, Satoko, and Rena had all taken a liking to him. Not too long ago, he had joined their after-school club, and it was through this that their bonds with him grew stronger.

Mion smiled to herself. The club had been one of the best things to happen in all her school years. It had succeeded not only in slowly bringing Satoko out of her shell and making new friends, but also in discovering a common bond the girls all shared. Through one means or another, they all felt somewhat isolated in their family situation, yet were able to confide in one another.

Yes…in a way, they almost _were_ another family.

And Keiichi was the new addition to the family.

Mion slowed down as she approached the familiar house up ahead, seeing another person arriving at almost the same time. "Oh hey, Rena," greeted Mion as she came to a complete stop, "Ready for today's activity?"

Rena beamed. "You know I am!" she said gleefully. "I can't wait till we meet up with Rika and Satoko! Those two are so cute together I could take them home with me!"

"What _wouldn't_ you take home with you?" chuckled Mion. She turned her head and called out, "Kei-chan! Are you going to keep us out here all day or what?"

As if on cue, Keiichi came running out of the house yanking his shirt over his head. "Ah, Kei-chan," laughed Mion, "Slept in again? This old man can't wait around for you forever, you know!"

"Hey, I wouldn't be sleeping in if _you_ hadn't given me that spicy ohagi!" said Keiichi defensively. "What did you put in it, anyway? Poison? Needles?"

Mion winked at Rena. "Oh, we put in our own secret ingredient, right Rena?"

Rena giggled, "Right."

Ah, Rena…she looked just like a cute little doll when she got like this; her eyes lit up, her dimples round and pink, her smile bright…Rena herself was cute enough to take home.

"Anyway," Mion began to head off on her bike, "Race you, Kei-chan!"

"Wait for me!" cried out Keiichi as he flung himself onto his bike and raced to catch up with the two giggling girls up ahead. Today was bound to be a fun-filled day.

* * *

Satoko and Rika stood together outside the toy store, staring eagerly down the street they expected Mion, Rena, and Keiichi to come off from. It wasn't an extremely hot day, though it was considerably warm, leaving the two young girls thankful to have worn a shirt with shorts, and a sundress respectively.

"I can't wait for Mion to get here," said Satoko as she tapped one sneaker-covered foot on the sidewalk, "I wonder what we're going to do Keiichi _today,_ ohohoho…"

"Maybe we should punish him for making Mion and Rena late by making him wear cat ears!" suggested Rika. She smiled at the adorable thought.

"Ohohoho!" laughed Satoko. "I think I'll set up a nice trap for him to walk right into—"

"They're here!" cried out Rika, waving to the approaching three on their bikes. They slowed down before getting off and walking their bikes over.

"Sorry we're late," apologized Mion. She grinned over at Keiichi and said, "We would've arrived a bit earlier if it hadn't been for lazy Kei-chan over here, eh?"

"Hey, it was also _your_ fault!" protested Keiichi. "Just tell me what was in the ohagi already!"

"Ah, if only we had the time," sighed Mion in a faux-bored tone, "But right now, it's time to get down to business." She gestured for Rika and Satoko to come over, and the five of them huddled close together.

"So why are there so many kids today at the toy store anyway?" asked Keiichi. "Is there some sort of prize-giveaway or something?"

"Close, Kei-chan, close," grinned Mion, wondering if she should torment her friends for a few extra minutes, but deciding to spill the beans already: "Today, there will be a game with fifty-thousand yen as the grand prize, and—"

"Wait, _what?"_ cried out Keiichi, his attention now fully taken. _"Fifty thousand yen? _Holy—and you couldn't have said something about this last night _why?"_

"Eh, I decided I was up for a bit of suspense today," shrugged Mion, "But anyway—who's ready to get rich?"

"We are!" chorused the five, and off they went inside, ready for the game that would unknowingly, except for one, change the course of events of the past week.

* * *

It was an intense battle, and it was a close one. Just before the game had begun, Mion had reminded them all that whoever won got to do whatever they wanted with the one who lost. This thought alone was enough to pump up their drive to succeed, and they each had their own punishment in mind:

"I'll make Mion walk around with a stupid cat face for once!"

"I've always wanted to see how Kei-chan looked in a meido dress…"

"I think I'll take him home with me!"

"Just you wait, I'll set up a trap for you all…"

"Nipah!"

Rena's eyes lit up as she reached for the cat card and she squealed, "How cute! I'm taking this home with me!"

"After you win the game," chuckled the storeowner, "Now, for the next one: Gold as in goldfish!"

Mion's hand instinctively reached for the goldfish card that was just within reach…

…only for another hand to reach out at the same time and touch her hand. She was just about to give the other person heck for it, when she looked up and realized the owner of the hand was none other than Keiichi, who looked at her with those puppy-like eyes of his, those eyes that made her lose her breath…

"Oh," said a little wisecrack, "boyfriend and girlfriend, huh?"

There was some snickering around the table. Keiichi reached back and Mion snatched the card off the table, both thoroughly embarrassed. "Sh—she's not my girlfriend!" said Keiichi quickly. "Right, Mion? You tell them!"

"Ah, yeah," laughed Mion, the back of her neck growing hot, "We're definitely not…" Her eyes flashed back to their competitive spirit. "But you _will_ be my slave at the end of this!"

"Not if _you're_ my slave _first,_ Sonozaki!" declared Keiichi. Within seconds, it was as though that little incident never happened.

* * *

The game ultimately ended in a tie between Keiichi and Mion, with just one minute short from the card that would've broken it. As a result, there was no prize money given out to either of them, and needless to say, Keiichi was not amused.

"What was the idea back there, huh?" cried out Keiichi behind a laughing Mion walking out to the bikes. "You just couldn't stand the idea of losing to _me,_ could you, Sonozaki?"

"Eh, it would've been an easy victory anyway," shrugged Mion, "I'm more interested in a _real_ challenge. But seriously though, I have to go to work now."

"Wow, isn't it convenient to hear about this _just_ as I was about to beat you into the ground?" scoffed Keiichi as the other three girls followed with the storeowner.

"Now both of you settle down from your lover's spat," said the storeowner jokingly, "As there will be no prize money, accept this as your consolation prize."

He handed a brown bag over to Keiichi, smiled knowingly at the two, and went back inside the store. "Lover's spat," muttered Keiichi with a roll of his eyes as he began to open the bag, "if only he knew…"

_Yes…if only he knew,_ thought Mion with a smile as Keiichi pulled his prize out. As it so happened, his "prize" turned out to be an admittedly adorable looking doll with long, curly blonde hair, wide cerulean eyes, porcelain skin, a pink pinafore dress, and a white veil flowing down her curls.

"A doll?" said Keiichi with raised eyebrows. "What an…interesting prize."

"Not _just_ interesting!" squealed Rena as her eyes lit up with glee. "She's _sooo_ cute! I want to take her home!"

"Eh, heh-heh, "interesting" isn't the word I'd use," laughed Mion, "That doll seems entirely inappropriate for _you,_ Kei-chan."

All the same, though, she couldn't help but admire the doll's beauty. She wasn't all that interested in dolls herself, yet part of her wanted Keiichi to give the doll to her. Even if she would never actually play with it, she would place it on the top shelf in her bedroom, just to serve as a reminder of a possibility that maybe this friendly rivalry of hers with Keiichi might possibly blossom into something more…

"Yes, this _is_ inappropriate for me," said Keiichi, raising the doll ever so slightly.

Mion didn't want to get her hopes up, yet she did. Part of her knew Keiichi would probably give the doll over to Rena anyway, yet she hoped Keiichi would try to embarrass her by handing the doll over, and she would accept it out of gratitude and nothing more…

"And that is why Rika-chan deserves this doll," said Keiichi. He handed the doll over to a surprised-looking Rika. "Me?" said Rika. "You really think I should have it?"

"Sure, why not," shrugged Keiichi, "I think you and Satoko both will have a better time with that doll than I ever could."

Mion shared Rika's surprise. She had thought that if the doll wasn't going to her then maybe it would go over to Rena…not to _Rika…_

"You're okay with it, Rena?" said Keiichi quickly.

"Oh yes, I'm fine," said Rena with a wave of her hand, "If that doll will make Rika happy, then I'm okay with her having it."

Keiichi turned to Mion and for a minute, she just about expected him to ask her about her feelings about it…

"So you're off to work now, Mion?" said Keiichi. "I mean, dolls aren't really your thing, so…"

"Uh…yeah," laughed Mion, trying to hide her mixture of surprise and disappointment, "Sometimes, I think I'd be better off as a guy!" She got on her bike and called over her shoulder, "I'm off to work now; see you guys later!"

She barely heard the choral "goodbyes" of the others as she began to ride down the road. She kept thinking about why Keiichi would give the doll to Rika. They hadn't really been all _that_ close…right?

Well…Keiichi _did_ act like something of a big brother to Rika and Satoko at times…so yeah. Maybe that was it.

Maybe that's all it was.

_But that's not all it is, and you know it._

This voice inside her head startled Mion so much she almost made a wrong turn. She got herself on the right path, but the voice continued: _You're not even the least bit curious about why Keiichi would ask Rena if she were okay with the doll going to Rika yet almost disregard your feelings? You know what's going on; you just prefer not to see it._

This voice left almost as quickly as it came. The words spoken had been a bit unsettling. It would be one thing to hear them from another person…but for them to come into her own mind…

Mion shrugged and made the turn to her workplace. It was just a moment of temporary doubt. She'd get over it…eventually.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: New poll on my profile page; I'd appreciate it if you would check it out, vote, and comment either through review or PM. You are entitled to say what you think on the subject as long as you're not overly-obnoxious or pretentious.

* * *

2

The following day Mion seemed to have just about put the doll incident behind her. When the time for club activities rolled around, she was back to her old, ultra-competitive self.

"Jack, six, three, Queen, King!" declared Mion as the five friends gathered round the table in an intense competition of Old Maid.

"For _once_ I'd like to see you play _fair,_ Sonozaki," grumbled Keiichi as he forfeited the correctly-guessed cards—in other words, _all_ of them.

"For your information, I _always_ play to win," boasted Mion. She smirked at the infuriated Keiichi. He looked cute when he was mad. At least here, when they played these games together, he viewed her as an equal, and not just some tomboy who was above dolls. When they were all playing these games together, there were no girls whose feelings he valued above the rest. No, they were all players in a game striving to win, seeing eye-to-eye.

"Keiichi," piped up Rika, "don't feel bad; you can see my own cards, too, can't you?"

Keiichi looked over at Rika's cards. "Heh, looks like I _can."_ He smirked and declared, "Forfeit your six of diamonds, Rika!"

Rika smiled and gleefully tossed her card into the pile. "Nipah!"

Wait…there was something peculiar about that "nipah". It was the way Rika looked at Keiichi when she said it…she seemed to be smiling in an all-too friendly manner…

Well, they _were_ friends, so _of course_ they'd be looking at each other that way…or so Mion told herself.

The cards continued to be shuffled and the competition grew more and more intense. However, this was less so because of Keiichi repressing the urge to strangle the girls from his increasing fury, and more from Mion noticing the way the girls would look at Keiichi. She would notice him smiling over at Rika, complimenting her on what a good little girl she was. She would hear Satoko laugh her usual laugh about how she planned to take Keiichi down, sounding almost…flirtatious?

Of course, they were only little girls, but Rena…Mion knew Rena would deny it to her grave, but she could almost swear she saw Rena peeking above her cards while Keiichi was figuring out what to do, and getting this look in her eye. It was a look that strongly reminded Mion of when her twin sister, Shion, had begun to develop feelings for Satoshi and would talk endlessly about him.

No matter how much Mion told herself to ignore it, she couldn't. In fact, the more she tried to ignore it, the stronger it grew. What "it" was, she was not certain of.

But she was certain that she hated this feeling.

* * *

"Aw, come _ooooonnnn,"_ groaned Keiichi as he walked home in a maid dress alongside the other girls, "What is with you and this weird fetish of yours anyway, huh? Here's hoping my dad doesn't get "inspired" again…"

Rena cooed, "Aww, Keiichi-kun, you're so cute, so cute! I want to take you home with me!"

"Ah, ah, ah," said Mion tauntingly as she dragged Keiichi away from Rena, "He's not yours to take, Rena. I'm sure Kei-chan's dad would be pretty mad if we were to kidnap him, eh?" She playfully nudged Keiichi in the ribs, though her attempts to lighten to atmosphere still could not get rid of this dark feeling she held in her heart.

_Open your eyes and look at them, look at ALL of them. They all seem really close to Keiichi, don't they? And why do you suppose they are so close?_

Because we are friends.

_Do 'friends' stand as close together as Rena and Keiichi did just now?_

Well…yeah, why not? Some people just…get too close for comfort, right?

_Denial, denial, denial—it's easier to wander with your eyes closed and trust that your friends will be there to catch you if you fall than it is to have your eyes open and realize none of your friends really have your back, now isn't it?_

But—

"Hey look, there's Shion!" exclaimed Keiichi as they walked further up the path and spotted Mion's twin sister just up ahead. "Wonder what she's doing here?"

"Huh?" said Mion, promptly snapping out of her trance. What was Shion doing here? She couldn't recall inviting her to come walking with them…

Oh wait, that's right; she was supposed to take Satoko to see Dr. Irie for some reason or another. She only hoped it wasn't to convince her to accept his marriage proposal.

Shion ran up to the five friends and said, "Sis! I need to talk to Satoko for a minute!"

"Yeah, and speaking of Satoko," Keiichi began, "Did you know she rigged a bucket of water to fall on my head this morning? Or how she _cheated_ during today's club activities? I swear, Satoko, I'll—"

"Ah, ah, ah," said Shion with a wag of her finger, "As long as I'm around, you're not allowed to lay a hand on Satoko." She smiled at the blonde girl who smirked at Keiichi before smiling up at Shion.

"Hey, didn't I meet you at Angel Mort?" said Keiichi.

"No, we met when sis introduced us," said Shion slowly, trying to remember, "Since when did we meet at Angel Mort?"

Keiichi shrugged. "Beats me. But I'll bet you'd look cute in one of those Angel Mort uniforms, though. Cute enough for Rena to take home, maybe?"

He wriggled his eyebrows at a blushing Shion. Mion rolled her eyes, yanked Keiichi by the collar, and said, "Snap out of it, Kei-chan, or else you'll be branded a pervert for the rest of your days in the club. Then again, it may just be too late."

If Keiichi were to actually _go_ to Angel Mort and see Shion in her uniform…would he really think she was attractive? Mion had never really considered herself to be beautiful, but…

"So anyway," said Shion, "while I'm here, I thought I'd ask: Would you like to help set up the Watanagashi festival on Saturday?"

Keiichi furrowed his brow. "Hmm…remind me again what that is. I think I remember it…"

Rena explained, "Every year, on the third Sunday of every June, the town holds a festival to give thanks to Oyashiro-sama, where we give old clothes away to be shredded into cotton. Then, the priest or shrine maiden performs a dance that ends with them cutting apart the cotton." She smiled over at Rika. "This year, Rika will be the shrine maiden to play that role."

"Nipah!" smiled Rika.

Rena went on: "Afterwards, we take a small piece of cotton and drift it down the river to wash our sins away. It's really fun, Keiichi-kun. You should come check it out with all of us."

Rena seemed to have a meaningful look in her eye as she spoke the last part. By that, did she mean "check it out with _us"_ or "check it out with _me"_?

"Now would I ever let my fellow club members down like that?" declared Keiichi. "I'll show up to help on Saturday, _and_ at the festival on Sunday."

"Just so you know," said Mion, "There'll be plenty of club activities to do at the festival…" She grinned. "And I look forward to beating you in every one of them, Kei-chan!"

Keiichi grinned back. "Not if _I_ beat _you_ first, Sonozaki!"

For a minute there, it looked like Mion might be able to suppress her feelings after all…

"_Which_ Sonozaki?" teased Shion.

Mion scoffed, "Bet you can't take on _both_ of us at _once._ It'll only exhaust you once the activities are over."

Rika piped up, "I wish I could stick around, but I've got to leave to practice for my role as shrine maiden. I'm so sorry everybody; I'll see you all tomorrow, okay?"

As she took off, Keiichi said, "Hmm, Rika as a shrine maiden sure would be a cute sight to see…"

_So there is something between him and that girl after all…_

No, there isn't; they're just friends. He's like…like an older brother. He's like a brother to all of us.

_If not her…then what about your sister?_

Of course not; I think she might still love Satoshi.

_But what if she's over him already?_

Shion's not the type of person to just "get over" someone.

_Then what about Rena?_

"Mion?"

Mion found herself snapping out of her trance once more. She noticed only then that Satoko and Shion were walking down the path waving goodbye.

"You seemed kind of out-of-it," remarked Keiichi as he and Rena continued to walk home together with Mion, "Is something all right?"

No, Keiichi. Nothing is all right. You're giving those girls more attention than they deserve. What's more, these girls are doing nothing to stop this attention. They're…they're trying to…

"Ah, yeah," said Mion quickly, putting on a smile, "Everything's fine; I'm just a little tired from staying up late helping grandma _and_ doing homework, that's all."

Rena asked, "It's not about yesterday, is it?"

_Yes. Yes it is. It's about how Keiichi gave up that doll to that little wh—_

"Eh, no, no, no, _no,"_ said Mion with a wave of her hands, "I told you, I'm just tired. C'mon, race you home!"

The three of them began running further down the path together. Mion turned her head to see Rena glancing hopefully over at Keiichi, who kept his gaze focused straight ahead. Of all the girls in the group, Rena _had_ to be the one who held the strongest feelings for Keiichi, apart from Mion. She was always talking to him affectionately, always gentler on him during their games, always taking him out to the dumpster…

What did they _do_ at the dumpster anyway? Look for more "treasure"?

Or…kissing?

Or…

Irrational as these worries may be, Mion could not shake them off, nor could she shake off a terrible feeling that by this time next week, things would go horribly, _horribly_ wrong…


	4. Chapter 3

3

"You're spilling tea, child."

"Huh? Oh, sorry," said Mion quickly as she lay the teapot aside. It was now Saturday, and at this moment there was still time before Mion had to leave. For now, she was having a peaceful afternoon with her grandmother, having tea in the dining room.

Or at least, _trying_ to have a peaceful afternoon without "that" voice, which continued to haunt her throughout the week, sending thoughts of doubt and suspicion in her mind. She was trying her best to brush them off and tell herself she was worrying over nothing.

And yet…

"You have not been your usual self this past week," said Oryou gruffly. Mion felt nervous from the way Oryou eyed her, for it was as though she could read the parasitic voice on her mind. "You have not been paying attention during your training, nor have you been respondent whenever I asked you a question."

"Well," said Mion nervously, playing with her ponytail, "I've got a lot on my mind right now, grandma. You know, with the festival coming up tomorrow, and the party afterwards…"

_And those vultures who only want Keiichi for themselves._

Shut up!

"_What_ did you just say to me?" said Oryou sharply.

_Did…did I just say that out loud?_ thought Mion with a start. "S—sorry, grandmother," she said with a bow, "I was thinking out loud, and…well, I'm having these conflicting thoughts…"

"About that boy?" said Oryou sternly. "Is this about that Maebara boy who moved here a while ago?"

"Y—yes," stammered Mion, feeling her stomach tighten. Did she disapprove of her feelings for Keiichi just as she had disapproved of Shion being with Satoshi? Would Mion, too, have to do "distinction", all because Keiichi was an outsider?

No, she wouldn't be _that_ cruel and unreasonable.

Of course she wouldn't.

_Maybe_ she wouldn't.

Oryou took a sip of her tea. Mion decided she may as well take a sip also. Like her emotions, it tasted bittersweet.

* * *

It was just after dinner that Mion showed up to help prepare for the Watanagashi festival. Already, most of the booths had begun to be set up, and were now having the signs announcing their purpose being set up.

And already, she could spot Shion and Keiichi laughing and talking just up ahead. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it was bound to be about something related to the festival…right?

Mion ran up to the two and called out, "Kei-chan! Shion!"

The two spotted Mion and waved. "Oi! Mion!" said Keiichi. "We were just talking about you!"

"About how I'm going to kick your butt tomorrow night at the festival?" cracked Mion. "Speaking of which, did I arrive too late?"

"Nah, we're just beginning to help set up the prizes booth," said Keiichi, walking over to the nearby booth. As he began to help the owner set up the prizes on the counter, Mion took note of the small, western teddy bears…of the stack of cards…of the China dolls…

Those wretched dolls that were smiling at her in a patronizing manner, dolls that mocked her, scorned her: _Of course we're not good enough for you, of course…!_

And it almost seemed as though they were _laughing_ at her…

Wait.

She whipped around to see Shion and Keiichi talking and laughing over _something._ What exactly it was, she did not know. If what they were saying was so funny, then they could share it with her, right?

She placed one hand on the wooden counter and gently slid one finger across the smooth wood. There wasn't anything wrong with Keiichi talking to Shion; he had a right to know her sister. After all, she hadn't immediately introduced them when Keiichi first arrived to Hinamizawa. She hadn't seen a need to.

Was it because he had not known Shion for very long that he wanted to suddenly get closer to her? That he almost viewed her as a substitute for Mion?

Mion felt a sudden sharp prick at her finger. She sharply pulled her hand away from the counter, and realized she had a splinter caught in the same finger that had been run across the counter. She looked up at Keiichi and Shion, who were still talking and laughing as though it were just the two of them and Mion was not standing right in front of them.

Mion bit her lip and clamped two fingernails between the splinter, yanking it out with one quick pull. Almost like when she had gone through distinction for Shion's sake…it wasn't too painful if it were done with one quick yank. It was when it was done slowly that it became painful. The more time that passed in between one fingernail and the other being removed, the more painful it was when the time came to perform the task once more.

Almost like how unrequited love hurt: The longer one was led on, the more it hurt to learn their feelings had never been reciprocated to begin with.

Mion forced this silly thought out of her head and said with a laugh, "Hey guys, don't you think we ought to help out a little more?"

Keiichi turned to Mion and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right." Then, "Oh look, it's Tomitake!"

Mion turned to see photographer Tomitake Jirou walk over to the trio with his girlfriend Takano Miyo. Tomitake seemed to be as cheerful as ever, while Takano had her forever-serene expression. "Good evening to you all!" said Tomitake cheerfully. "Mind if I take a picture of you three grouped together?"

"Sure!" said Mion. Without thinking, she grabbed onto Keiichi's arm and yanked him towards her. Shion grabbed onto his other arm and pulled him in her direction, resulting in Tomitake's picture showing a pained Keiichi caught between two women.

"My, my, I see you have two girlfriends," remarked Takano with a smile.

Keiichi rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Mion cleared her throat loudly. "I think I'd better get going for a while," she said, walking forward, "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

She pretended to walk a slight distance before stopping and bending behind one of the stands. She overheard Keiichi making small talk with Tomitake and Takano. Nothing interesting; just talk about how he was so far adjusting to life in Hinamizawa, how he was getting along well with the other girls…

Wait.

He was talking about Satoko being a pint-sized terror out to someday kill him with one of her traps. Yet why would he mention her first if he really didn't care about her all that much?

Now, it was Rika's turn. He mentioned how Rika was so adorable, especially when she did her little "Nipah~". Yes…Rika _was_ adorable, wasn't she?

And then…_Rena._ The _worst_ part. It was nothing but how Rena's obsession with cute things almost made her cute herself, how she was the most well-behaved of all the girls in the group, how she was into girly things and how he had almost considered giving _her_ that precious _doll…_

Mion unclenched her fist upon realizing she had even made one in the first place. She took a few breaths to calm down, telling herself to think rationally and listen to the rest of the conversation. Keiichi was mentioning Mion now…how she made such a good "buddy"…

_Buddy._

Of course. She should've known. That's all she would _ever_ be in the eyes of Keiichi: Nothing more than a buddy.

She was almost tempted to leave when she heard Keiichi ask about the rumours he had heard regarding the mysterious deaths that occurred each year. She decided to stay and listen to this. As expected, Tomitake and Takano began explaining about Oyashiro's curse, and what had happened the first year with the dam constructor…and the year after with Rika's parents…and the year after with Satoko's…and finally, last year with Satoshi and his aunt. All the while, she noticed how closer Shion seemed to be getting to Keiichi…how she clung on to his arm, almost as though in fright…

Mion decided she would take a walk around the village and then come back to help with further preparation for the festival, just to clear her head of these silly thoughts. She began to walk further down the path, when she heard something behind her.

It was a faint _pit-pat…pit-pat…pit-pat…_

Then…it became…_pit-patta…pit-patta…pitta-pit…pit-patta…pit-pat…pit-patta…_

She turned around. Neither Keiichi nor Shion had followed her; they were still standing with and talking to Tomitake and Takano. And none of the other vendors seemed to be following her, either.

"Eh, it's probably just someone's hammer," she shrugged, though the sounds she had just heard were a little too soft to be hammering. In fact…they sounded like…footsteps…

She rolled her eyes at the thought and began to walk further down.

_Pit-pat._

_Pit-pat._

_Pitta-patta._

Further…

_Pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat…_

Further…

_Pit-patta…_

_Pitta-pat…_

_Pit-pat_

_Pit-pat…_

Just a little bit further…

_Pit-pat…pit-pat-pit-pat…_

She could ignore it, it wasn't _that_ bad…

_PIT-PAT-PIT-PAT-PAT-PAT-PIT-PIT-PATTA-PIT-PIT-PIT_

It wasn't until Mion reached her own house she realized she had been running. From what, she was uncertain of. Whether it was Oyashiro…or herself.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: New poll on profile page.

4

The Watanagashi Festival arrived the following day. Mion put on her best mask of security as she led the club members forward to the festivities, trying not to note how, ahem, _close_ Keiichi and Rena appeared to be, what with their chatting and laughing and _flirting…_

As the group made their way up the stony steps, Mion turned her head to call out for Keiichi and Rena to catch up. The words hadn't even left her mouth, however, when she noticed a flushing Rena, a nervously laughing Keiichi, and…and…

_Hand-holding?_

Mion realized one second too late she was about to miss a step, and felt herself begin to fall. She saw the sky, the path…

Keiichi's eyes?

"You okay, Mion?" asked Keiichi. He had caught Mion before she could fall any further, and was now holding her in his arms…like this…

"Ah, y—yeah!" stammered Mion as she quickly shoved herself out of Keiichi's embrace—er, hold. "I was just so excited I didn't watch where I was going, hah! C'mon, let's get moving!"

"You sure you're okay, Mion?" asked Rena, sounding genuine in her question. She _looked_ genuine, too.

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe they weren't really holding hands after all.

"Oh, sure, it takes a lot more than a little fall to keep this old man down!" said Mion with a wave of her hand. She ran further up the steps, away from Rena, and away from Keiichi.

* * *

"_IT BUUURRRRRNNNSSS!"_ screeched Keiichi upon stuffing one too many takoyaki into his mouth. The competitions had already begun, starting with a speed-eating contest. Keiichi, in his efforts to up one over the other girls, had gone a little _too_ fast, and was now dancing around as though his clothes were on fire.

"Ohohohohoho!" laughed Satoko at the sight. "Feeling suicidal, Keiichi? Don't you know it's practically suicide to eat something _that_ hot?"

"So-w—why—" Keiichi panted, but was unable to complete that sentence before going back to yowling. Mion stifled a laugh and gave a knowing wink over at Shion. They knew the secret to eating those things without burning one's mouth, but how was Keiichi to know?

Rena came running up to Keiichi holding a glass of water. "Keiichi-kun, drink this!" she cried out as she thrust the drink into Keiichi's hand. He eagerly gulped the water down while Mion laughed with the other girls.

Or at least, _tried_ to laugh.

Much like the look of concern from when Mion had earlier nearly fallen down the steps, the concern in Rena's eyes now looked genuine. Rena sure was worried about Keiichi's well-being, wasn't she?

Then again, friends always looked out for each other's well-being, didn't they?

_And people who are _more _than friends hold hands, don't they?_

Mion forced a smile and announced, "Now we will move on to—"

"Look! It's Rika!" piped up Satoko.

Rika walked up the group wearing her shrine maiden clothing, looking very perky yet mature. "You're so cute, so cute!" squealed Rena, her eyes shining over like a puppy getting their tummy scratched. "I want to take you home with me!"

"Eh, now don't get so greedy, Rena-chan," laughed Keiichi. He smiled at Rika. "However cute she may be, she still has to perform tonight, after all."

_Cute? Rika?_

_Keiichi never once calls you "cute", now does he?_

Pit-pat…pit-pat…pit-pat…

"Eh, do you guys hear that?" asked Mion, looking around to see if there was anyone approaching the group.

"Hear what, Mii-chan?" asked Satoko.

"N—nothing!" said Mion quickly upon realizing there was no one to be seen. "Just pulling your legs, ha-ha!"

She pretended to listen to the others' compliments on Rika, but could not stop hearing those footsteps. Pit-pat…pit-pat…pitta-pat…pitta-pat…

She thought she saw a concerned, solemn look on Rika's face for half a minute, but then she went back to being her usual, happy self. All the while, Mion felt her grip on her sanity begin to loosen further and further by the minute.

* * *

Mion had hoped her doubts on her friends' sincerity would ease up and disappear by the time evening rolled around. To her dismay, she found herself unable to enjoy Rika's dance, however much she made herself look it, for she was sharply noticing every little gesture each of the girls made with Keiichi. If it wasn't Satoko's teasing of Keiichi, it was Rena's blush at Keiichi's jokes. And if it wasn't Rena's blush at Keiichi's jokes, it was Shion holding on to his arm like he was some teddy bear.

"Now don't _they_ make the fine couple, eh?"

Mion turned to see Oishi standing just behind her. "O—Oishi-san!" she gasped. "I didn't even see…"

"I'm only here for a little bit, and then I'll have to get back to the station," said Oishi. He lit up a cigarette and took a drag on it before asking, "Tell me something, Sonozaki: Are you familiar with the curse of Oyashiro?"

Mion tensed up, then nodded. The curse of Oyashiro…it wasn't affecting _her,_ now was it? Were the footsteps she heard a sign? An omen of what was to come?

"…your family will be the first to be alerted on the matter."

Mion nodded, pretending to have been holding on to every word Oishi had said. She forced herself to stare straight ahead at Rika's dance, only catching on to his next choice sentence:

"I'm sorry."

Wait…was it Oishi who had said it?

The dance ended, and everyone stood up and clapped, Keiichi whistling for Rika.

_Maybe no one would notice if I took off for a little bit right now,_ thought Mion, but just as she was about to leave, Rena turned and said, "Time for the cotton-drifting!"

"Maybe later," Mion muttered to herself as she rejoined the group. Though as she looked upon the smiling faces of her friends, she didn't see smiles of sincerity and happiness. They were all _mocking_ her, saying with their faces, "We have Keiichi wrapped around our delicate fingers and you don't because you're only his buddy".

Satoko especially, with way her fang was bared for her to see, like she was some animal waiting to prey upon Keiichi…or Rena, whose eyes seemed to mist over, and whose pupils seemed to shrink even further in the dark…

* * *

Mion stood at the edge of the river with the piece of cotton she had taken. She had yet to roll it up into a ball, and instead stood around watching her friends roll their respective balls down the river. She wondered what sins they were all letting go of. Perfectly human, forgivable sins? Or sins that were…less than human?

That was silly; what could they have done that was—

Mion realized what _her_ sin was: Denial. How could she be living like this, thinking her so-called "friends" relationship with Keiichi was perfectly innocent? Whom was she fooling in thinking that Keiichi had only given the doll to Rika out of friendly gesture, not out of some perverted, sick feelings towards her? Why had she deceived herself into thinking that Satoko's teasing of Keiichi was not flirting? How could she have been so blind to Shion's _real_ intentions to start getting closer to the group—or more specifically, to _Keiichi?_

And Rena…the signs had been there all along and she was too blind and stupid to see them.

Of course.

They were _all_ out for Keiichi. They all wanted to _take_ him away from her.

"Mion? It's almost time for us to go to the family dinner."

"Coming, Shion!" called out Mion. She rolled up the ball of cotton, bent down, and lightly placed it on the water, watching it flow further and further down the winding river.

Her sin was denial. And as of tonight, she would let go of that sin.


	6. Chapter 5

5

"Ugh…thanks for me taking me home, sis," groaned a half-drunk Shion as Mion helped her through the door to her apartment. The party at the Sonozaki estate had gone over quite well in spite of the thoughts of jealousy that plagued Mion's mind. She had succeeded in putting on a mask for everyone in attendance, including her own sister. For a little while, she had managed to have genuine fun.

And Shion had had a little _too_ much fun; she had managed to sneak one too many alcoholic beverages by the adults, and this little fact became obvious to everyone else when Shion randomly started singing "Fly Me to the Moon" and then fell over in a fit of giggles. Mion had been given the task of taking Shion home in one piece, and she had managed to get her out of there while avoiding the glares of her grandmother. Even though she called up a cab, she figured it might be a good idea to take Shion up to her apartment just to make sure she'd be okay by herself. No sooner had they arrived than the effects of the alcohol began to wear off and Shion slowly sobered up, though she was still a bit unsteady on her feet.

Why _did_ Shion feel the need to drink so much? Guilt, perhaps? Guilt that she had betrayed her beloved Satoshi for her sister's Keiichi?

"No problem, Shion," said Mion as she helped Shion down to the nearby couch. Shion let out a breath and lay her head back. "Sorry to do this to you, sis."

"It's all right, we're sisters," said Mion with a wave of her hand. She stood by the counter in the kitchen and noticed the knives left out.

"Want me to clean this up?" asked Mion.

"Sure," said Shion weakly with a sign.

Mion picked up the knives and walked over to the sink. "I guess I should've stopped after the fifth glass, huh?" said Shion.

Mion began to wash off the knives. Yes, that was just how they needed to be…nice and clean…

"You think?" laughed Mion as she used a washcloth to dry off a knife. "What got into you, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Shion, and she sat up. "I guess I just got a little overexcited at getting to join some big family event for once, instead of being locked away."

"Yes, that must've been nice for you," muttered Mion, thinking, _So that's why you're doing it, huh—attention. You just want Keiichi to give you the attention Satoshi never really gave you._

She picked up a knife. "Feeling better now?"

"A little bit, yeah," admitted Shion, "Though I do have a bit of a headache."

As Mion dried off the knife, she felt the blade slide between her fingers ever so slightly. "Your little performance sure was wild, ha-ha!"

"Yeah, that was something," said Shion, embarrassed, "I don't think grandma appreciated it very much, though."

Mion lay the two knives down and picked up the third knife. "She's always liked you best," said Shion. "Although…I wonder what she would say if she knew…"

Mion tensed up while drying off this knife. She looked into the blade's reflection, and did not see herself, but a demon staring back at her. "Knew about what?"

"You know…when we were little, with the tattoo…" Shion's voice trailed off.

"Huh? Oh, right," said Mion quickly. She picked up the three knives and Shion said, "I had a great time tonight at the festival."

"Did you now," muttered Mion, her thumb lightly running across the edge of each blade.

"Yeah," nodded Shion. Mion opened up the drawer she guessed the knives would go in. She had guessed correctly, and had begun to place them into the drawer when Shion said:

"I really enjoyed being with everyone—Satoko, Rika, Keiichi…"

"_Keiichi,"_ spat Mion. _"Of course."_

She slammed the drawer shut and turned to face Shion, who had risen up from the couch. "Sis, is something wrong?" she asked.

"_Wrong?"_ said Mion dangerously, heading a few steps closer to her concerned-looking sister. "You're betraying your _beloved_ Satoshi and you have the _nerve_ to ask me if something is _wrong?"_

Shion looked hurt. "Sis," she said, "You know how much Satoshi-kun means to me. How can you say that?"

"How?" said Mion through grit teeth. _"How?"_ She walked right up to Shion until their faces were barely inches away from one another and seethed, "You're treating Keiichi like your new _boyfriend._ If you _love him_ so much, why don't you just _marry_ him and be done with it? You've already taken him away from me, so why don't you just _admit it_ instead of hiding behind your hypocrisy?"

Shion was almost trembling. "Sis," she said quietly, "Keiichi is _just_ a friend. And that is all."

"_**YOU'RE LYING!"**_

Before either twin knew what was happening, Shion was flung onto the ground with Mion on top, grasping her hands around Shion's neck. Mion seethed with rage as she bore her glance into Shion's wide eyes.

"S—sis," choked Shion, "How—can—you—"

"How can I _not?"_ growled Mion, pressing her grip tighter and tighter. _"You,_ you who have taken Keiichi away from me, along with everyone _else!"_

She dug her fingernails into the flesh around Shion's neck. "Not _one_ of my friends has _ever_ been on my side to begin with. It was _you, all_ of it was _you,_ and _Rena,_ and _everyone else, _who just couldn't _stand_ to see me happy, and so you…and so you _all_ took Keiichi away _**FROM ME!"**_

_Snap._

It was this sound that broke Mion out of her trance. She loosened her grip with her shaking hands, but realized it was too late, with the way Shion's neck was bent…with the saliva trickling just down the corner of her mouth…

With the shocked yet glazed-over look in her eyes…

_What…what have I done?_

Mion tried to stand up, but fell back to the floor. She was shaking too hard to stand up. _I killed her…I killed her…she was my sister…and I killed her…_

_She was stealing Keiichi away from you, and you killed her._

"She was still my sister," Mion whispered out loud.

_She was nothing but a whore out to take Keiichi away from you._

"She was still my sister."

_She was using Keiichi to replace Satoshi._

"_**SHE WAS STILL MY SISTER!" **_screeched Mion as she picked up a nearby teacup and threw it against the wall, where upon it smashed into pieces.

This action calmed her down by a little bit. She took a few deep breaths before slowly standing up.

_She would've successfully stolen Keiichi away from you if you hadn't done what you did just now. You were absolutely justified._

She no longer had the strength to fight this voice. She caved in to its will and accepted it.

Shion had it coming.

* * *

In spite of her anger towards her sister, Mion still felt that Shion deserved to look more dignified in death. And besides which, she would need to create a less suspicious-looking scene if Kasai were to arrive. Over the next few minutes, she closed Shion's eyes and carried her to bed. As she tucked her dead sister in, she noticed that if she adjusted Shion's neck at a certain angle, it almost looked like she was sleeping.

Like…she had just been tucked into bed by her mother.

"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," giggled Mion, half to Shion, half to herself, and she walked out to finish some further work.

She cleaned up the remains of the smashed teacup and dumped them into the garbage bin. She then proceeded to clean up the remainders of Shion's kitchen, making sure not a single dish was left out of place or an expired food item left sitting out. In an odd way, such a practice was very calming to her. Odd, as she wasn't really a huge fan of cleaning. And yet now, cleaning left her with a feeling of serenity, as though she wasn't cleaning up the scene of a murder.

Instead, she had just put her drunken sister to bed, and was cleaning up the mess she had left behind.

She nearly jumped at the sound of a small _click._ Kasai. What was she going to do about _him?_

Stay calm, she told herself, and put on her best smile for when Kasai came through the door. "Oh, good evening, Kasai."

"I was told about what happened at the party," said Kasai, "I came over to check and see if Shion is all right."

"Well, she's still a little out of it, but she'll be fine," said Mion with a wave of her hand. _As long as you don't go into the bedroom, everything will be fine…_

"May I see her just to make sure she's okay?" asked Kasai. "I still have a responsibility for her, after all."

"She's sleeping right now," said Mion quickly, using that one washcloth to rub that same spot on the counter over and over again.

"If I may just _see_ her," said Kasai, but Mion said, "Uh, yeah, sure, you can see her. Just be quiet, okay? Try standing in the doorway, okay? Then you won't wake her up, okay?"

She tip-toed very silently over to the door leading to Shion's room. She opened up the door ever so slightly and peeked in. From this distance, it did indeed appear as though Shion was just sleeping. The only way to tell the difference would be to realize her chest was not moving.

She nervously glanced back and forth between Kasai and Shion. Kasai couldn't tell the difference, could he? Had his years of Yakuza experience taught him to realize the difference between a person who was sleeping, and a person who was dead?

Kasai nodded and closed the door. Mion stifled a sigh of relief as he said, "She seems to be all right."

"Yeah, she is, she's just really, _really_ tired," stressed Mion. Then, "Hey, Kasai…if it's okay with you, I'd like to stay with Shion for the night, just to make sure her hangover isn't _too_ bad when she wakes up in the morning. Just us alone, if that's okay."

"_Just_ you two alone?" said Kasai. His tone sounded almost suspicious.

"Yeah, just so we can have some quality time catching up with one another," said Mion quickly. _And so I have more time to figure out how to dispose of her body._

Kasai nodded and headed for the door. "Fine by me," he said, "As long as you tell Oryou about it."

It was just as he closed the door behind him that Mion let out that breath of relief.

* * *

"…so I'll be staying with Shion for the night, if that's okay."

Mion hoped her lying skills would be more convincing over the phone. To her relief, they were as Oryou said, "That child, always getting herself into trouble…all right, fine, you may stay with her for the night, but be back home _sharp_ after school."

"I will, grandma," said Mion, her grip on the phone tight.

"Before you go," said Oryou, "There is one other thing you must know."

Mion pretended to give her grandmother her absolute attention; in truth, she only caught bits and pieces of the grisly demises of Tomitake and Takano…the former having clawed out his throat, the latter being found burned to death in a barrel. Apart from all that, her mind was racing, wondering what to do next and how to do it convincingly.

Once the conversation was over, she hung up the phone and walked back into Shion's room. "I'll do something with you tomorrow morning," she muttered, "Right now, what am I going to do about tonight? I need to sleep _somewhere."_

She looked over at the closet, then back over at Shion. No reason why not…

* * *

Mion lay on the bed and closed her eyes. The only touch she could feel was the soft, fluffy feeling of the blankets beneath her fingers. The only sight she could see, if she were to open her eyes, was the bedroom ceiling.

The only emotion she could feel was jealousy.

She opened her eyes and sat up. She looked over at the closet, realizing a hand was sticking out. She got off the bed and ran over to shove the hand back inside and shut the door all the way. For a minute, she panicked—was she still alive? Had she succeeded in killing her after all? Or had she only been knocked out?

And when she regained consciousness…would she take her revenge?

No. She couldn't be alive. Mion had sworn she had succeeded in killing her. Admittedly, she hadn't arrived with the intention to kill her, but all the same, if she hadn't done it, then who was to say the dead girl in the closet wouldn't?

They were all out to get her. Mion just knew it. They all resented her happiness, and they all planned to take away the one thing that made her the happiest person in the world.

So far, one part of the competition had been eliminated.

As for the others…

Mion got under the covers and thought, _Yes…the others can wait a bit longer._

For now…she would sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

6

It would not be accurate to say Mion woke up at precisely six-thirty the next morning—rather, it was at this time that she slowly began to gain consciousness after what felt like a long sleep. She was aware that she was in _a _bed, and that she was staring at _a_ ceiling…but not _her_ bed, or _her_ ceiling.

Then, as if all at once, the memory of what had happened last night came rushing back to her at full force. The festival…everyone vying for Keiichi…her hands around Shion's neck…

Mion sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Oh yes. She had killed her sister. What was surprising wasn't this fact within itself so much as it was that she felt little regret over it. And as much she tried, her mind wouldn't _let_ her regret it.

Then again, maybe this was a good thing, considering she had yet to hide the body.

She realized she had fallen asleep in her shirt and jeans. No harm in wearing such clothes to school, right? She couldn't just go back home to get her other set of clothes _now._

Where was she? Oh yes, the body.

Mion got out of bed, walked over to the closet, and opened it up. Shion was still in a sleep-like position, her neck at a funny angle, her body beginning to emit an unpleasant stench. It reminded Mion of garbage.

If Shion's body were to go in with the trash, then how would anyone else suspect a thing was out of place if her smell blended in? She only hoped Rena wouldn't stumble across Shion's half-decayed body in the dump while looking for treasure.

Mion giggled at the thought, but managed to control long enough to get out and find a garbage bag in the kitchen. She stretched it out, hoping it would be big enough to fit Shion into. It would be bad if her arm were to be poking out, now wouldn't it?

Mion giggled even harder, taking nearly two minutes to calm herself down before going back for Shion. She smiled sadly at the sight of Shion's peaceful-looking face.

"Good night, sis," she said, "I hope you're happy with Satoshi."

She nearly jumped at the sound of footsteps. Were those the footsteps of people just waking up and getting ready for work? Or…Oyashiro…

She stuffed Shion into the bag in a haste, shoving in any parts that didn't quite fit—hey, she was dead, she couldn't complain if it felt uncomfortable—and tied it up without a second thought.

* * *

"Good morning, Shion!"

Mion whipped around, nearly dropping the garbage bag she had slung over her shoulders. She was on her way to the dumpster when she had heard the sound of someone greeting her. She assumed the person standing in front of her to be a neighbour of Shion's, and waved, "Good morning!"

The neighbour smiled and asked, "Shion, what are you doing up so early? Usually, I see you up a bit later."

"Well, I just want to get ready for school a bit earlier, that's all," said Mion quickly, walking at a bit faster pace towards the dumpster. "And I want to take the garbage out. It was beginning to smell."

"Ah, good for you," said the neighbour, "I keep telling my husband 'Taji, if we let that garbage stay around for one more week, we are going to attract maggots!' And of course, _he_ is content with the smell for another two weeks!"

She sighed and shook her head, then stopped. "But wait," she said, "I thought I saw you taking the garbage out yesterday. You said you wanted to get your chores done early so that you had nothing to burden yourself with when you came home from the festival."

"Oh, well, I'm just taking out some stuff I broke when I came home last night," said Mion, thinking on her feet. She _hoped_ that sounded good enough.

"Ah, I do remember hearing some noises and shouting last night," nodded the neighbour.

"Y—yeah, I was really, _really_ drunk," laughed Mion nervously, "And, well, I broke some stuff, so…yeah."

The neighbour sniffed. "It smells bad for something that was broken."

"I…vomited into the bag," said Mion quickly, "I had one too many to drink last night, ha ha!"

The neighbour raised her eyebrows but only said, "Do you need any help carrying that bag?"

"No, no, I'll be fine, I'm fine!" said Mion with a wave of her hand, and she scooted even further towards the dumpster. She had just lifted the lid when the neighbour said, "You seem to be perfectly fine for someone who supposedly had too much to drink last night. When I had my first hangover, I could barely get out of bed for nearly two hours."

"I woke up at around four in the morning feeling pretty bad," said Mion as she eagerly tossed the bag into the dumpster, "When I felt better, I figured I might as well take the trash out while I'm at it." She slammed the lid shut and began to run off down the sidewalk, calling out, "Bye, nice to see you!"

Never had there ever been in a time in her life where she had hoped her lying skills would work.

* * *

Mion sat up straight and pretended to have her full attention cast on helping Rika and Satoko with their assignments. In truth, her mind kept wandering to where Shion's body was at that moment. Had the garbage already been picked up? Was Shion's body still in the bag, at the dump? Or had it fallen out of the bag and was just lying around somewhere, waiting to be discovered?

Or was Shion still in the dumpster? Was she decaying at an even faster rate, her flesh seeping through the bag and onto any nearby decomposed meat, creating lethal bacteria from which maggots were bor—

Maggots.

_Maggots._

Mion scratched at her arm, suddenly feeling very…itchy. It was almost like there was something under her skin, something in her blood spreading and irritating the skin underneath…

Almost like…

"Hey, are you okay?"

Mion's hand fell to her side and she looked over at Rena, who once again wore a false look of worry. "Y—yeah!" she said quickly. "I'm…doing fine! It's just…I'm just itchy, that's all. A little bit of dry skin…anyway."

She went back to helping Satoko with a problem she was stuck on, all the while certain Rika was viewing her with an unsettling look.

* * *

Mion had decided to cancel club activities that afternoon. She refused to explain why to the disappointed group as they walked home.

"Are you feeling okay, Mion?" asked Keiichi. "You've just been kind of, well...off."

She was about to make a wise crack as a retort when-

_Pit-pat…pit-pat…pit-pat…_

"Mion? Are you okay?" said Rena's mocking voice.

"Yeah, you've been acting kind of weird all day," taunted Satoko.

"I'm—I'm just fine!" snapped Mion, nearly jumping a foot away from the rest of the group.

_Pit-pat…pit-pat…pit-pat…_

Keiichi looked at her with an empty yet crazy look in his eyes. Keiichi…what had they done to her Keiichi…?

"Mion, we're worried about you," he said in a hollow voice, "Just tell us what's wrong and we can help you…"

"W…wh…what have you _done _to him?" Mion cried out, taking a few steps further away.

"What have _we_ done?" said Rika, her eyes soulless. "We didn't do anything. Maybe you should go see Dr. Irie…"

"_I'm sorry."_

"W—which one of you said it?" asked Mion, looking around the group. She _swore_ she had heard a voice apologize to her, but no one's lips had moved.

"Said what, Mion?" said Satoko.

"_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"_

"G—go away!" gasped Mion, backing away from the group even further. "I don't know what you're talking about, just _go!"_

"_I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"_

"Mion, look around," said Keiichi, taking another step towards her, "No one is trying to hurt you."

"I—I don't believe you!" cried out Mion, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her ears. "You're lying to me! _**YOU'RE LYING!"**_

Still with her eyes closed, she turned and ran as fast as she could, ignoring the pleas of _"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"_

She made up her mind as she was running—

_I'm sorry._

Running from _them—_

_I'm sorry._

Her so-called "friends" who had brainwashed Keiichi and were taking him for themselves.

_I'm sorry._

Tonight.

_I'm sorry._

She would do it tonight.

_I'm sorry._

She would finish off the competition—

_I'm sorry._

Once and for all.

_I'm sorry._


	8. Chapter 7

7

"Child, you're shaking," observed Oryou as Mion struggled to pour the tea properly while the two were having tea together in Oryou's room, "I understand this year's death and disappearance must have—"

"Death? Disappearance?" said Mion sharply. Had her observant grandmother caught on to what really happened with Shion? Did she know about how Mion had…

Oryou scowled. "Do not interrupt me while I am talking to you, child."

"S—sorry, grandma," stammered Mion with a bow of the head.

"That is the precise attitude I am talking about," said Oryou sternly.

Mion lifted up her tea cup. Tonight would be the night she would finish off the competition once and for all…but what to do about her grandmother? Surely she would notice if Mion were to take her "friends" down to the torture chamber, and for only Mion to emerge…or at least, for Mion to emerge alive.

Thankfully, she had already taken care of that—she had slipped some valium into the tea. While Mion only pretended to take a sip, she carefully observed Oryou taking a full sip. It would be a matter of time until she would fall unconscious. And then…

"What is the matter, child?" asked Oryou sternly. "You look upon me as though I'm about to turn into some demon."

Mion averted her eyes. "Sorry, grandma," she said, "I just hope you like the tea I made."

Oryou took another sip. "Yes, it is…quite good. Well done."

Mion lay her cup down and waited. It took nearly an entire minute before Oryou began to look and act groggy, fighting to keep her eyes open, her body beginning to slump over. Putting on an act of concern, Mion said, "Are you feeling okay, grandma?"

"I'm…fine," yawned Oryou. She closed her eyes and slowly slumped further down. Mion waited for another five minutes just to make sure Oryou really was unconscious, and to make sure she _stayed_ that way. Those five minutes went by slowly, feeling to Mion like she was going through an entire year before each minute passed, but she told herself to be patient. If Oryou were to wake up unexpectedly, that would ruin everything.

While she was waiting, Mion thought about whom would be the first to go. Rena seemed the obvious choice to her, but there was something about the thought of getting rid of the biggest rival first that just didn't satisfy her. Why _should_ Rena have to go first? All because she was the biggest obstacle? No…something about that just didn't seem right. In order to move the biggest rock, the smaller rocks piled on top needed to be tossed aside first, after all.

_Which_ smaller rocks, though? Rika or Satoko? Satoko had a devil's charm that Keiichi seemed to adore. How sickening.

But _Rika_ was the one who had received the doll.

Yes. Maybe Rika _should_ go first.

Realistically speaking, though, would it really be a good idea to call the completion down one at a time? Wouldn't Satoko begin to realize Rika was missing after a while? Wouldn't Rena and Keiichi—the two of them, _together—_go to pay Rika and Satoko a visit and realize they, too, were gone? Either she would have to do the killings quickly, or…

Rika _and_ Satoko?

Mion looked up at the clock and let out a breath of relief. Five minutes had come and gone, and Oryou was still passed out. She briefly worried she had killed her grandmother, but why should that matter now? She had already stained her hands when she killed Shion, and was about to dirty them even further.

She stood up and silently tip-toed out of the room. She turned her head one last time. There was no way Oryou would wake up _now…_right?

And besides…the torture chamber _was_ sound-proof. Otherwise, the screams would keep the citizens of Hinamizawa from sleeping.

Mion slid the door behind her and walked down the hall, cringing at the sound of creaking wood. "She's asleep, she's asleep, she's asleep, she's asleep, she's asleep, she's asleep, she's asleep…" she whispered over and over. Eventually, this mantra sounded less like a coherent, non-fragmented sentence and more like a rushed combination put together.

She continued to chant this even as she picked up the phone and began dialing Rika's number, stopping only to hear "Hello?"

It was Satoko. Mion said, "Oh, hi, Satoko. It's me, Mion."

"Are you okay?" asked Satoko. "You freaked out really badly on us today."

"Uh, yeah, I'm a little on-edge," admitted Mion, her toes fidgeting beneath the uncomfortably warm fabric of her socks. "You know, I was thinking…do you think maybe you and Rika might like to come over for a little bit? You know, just so we can talk?"

"Sure, just let me get Rika," said Satoko's voice, "We'll be over in a couple minutes."

"Good," said Mion. She repeated, "Good…good. Bye."

She hung up, and…

"So how does it feel to be a murderer?"

Mion gasped at the sound of a voice. She spun around to see Shion standing right in front of her, her eyes dead and empty, her neck bending in one direction while her head went in the other. Then again, this was to be expected, given her broken neck.

Mion swallowed. "Sis…sis, you know I didn't _mean_ to kill you—"

"But you did," said Shion harshly, taking another step forward, "And for what? Because you thought I was out to steal Keiichi away from you?"

Mion felt her heart pound louder and louder. Suddenly, she wished Oryou was awake. She would know what to do…wouldn't she?

"W—well, you really shouldn't have—shouldn't have _talked_ about him that way," stammered Mion. Her throat felt dry and whatever words came out were forced.

"In _what_ way?" said Shion, twisting her neck over to the other side. "Like he was just a friend? You thought I would _betray_ Satoshi in such a way? How dare you."

By now, Mion could barely tell the difference between the pounding of her heart, and the footsteps coming from behind her.

"Sis," Mion choked, "Sis, I—I—I'm sorry! I'm so, _so_ sorry!"

"You thought I was lying that night," said Shion, her hands stretching out towards Mion's own straight neck. "Why should I think _you_ are any more truthful?"

Shion came closer and closer, her hands stretching out, her fingers curled in, her eyes hollow…

"_STOP! LEAVE ME ALONE!"_ shrieked Mion as she closed her eyes and fell the floor. She brought her knees to her chest and heaved heavy breaths. _She's going to kill me, she's going to kill me, she's going to kill me, she's going to kill me, she's going to kill me, she's going to kill me, she's going to kill me, she's going to—_

A knock.

Mion's eyes shot open and she leaped up to her feet. Shion was nowhere in sight, and the only vague sensation nearby was the door knocking. Satoko and Rika were here. Good.

She ran to the door and burst it open. As predicted, an innocent Satoko and an unsuspecting Rika stood before her. Unpredictably, Rika was holding…_that_ doll…

"Hey, Mion, you called us over, right?" said Satoko, flashing her fangs.

"Y—yeah," stammered Mion, opening the door even further. "Come on in!"

Her eyes did not leave the doll Rika held in her arms as the two girls walked inside. Those eyes, in particular, seemed so…peculiar. A deep shade of blue…cerulean, was it? Eyes the colour of the ocean at night…eyes that almost seemed alive…eyes that…blinked and moved…until they were staring _right at you…_

Then she realized Rika had placed the doll right into her arms. With a smile, Rika said, "Dolls aren't really my thing. I worried you were just sad that Keiichi didn't give you the doll. But now you're all happy, right?"

Mion blinked in surprise. "Er…yeah," she said, "Yeah, I am." She ran one hand through the doll's curls. Soft, smooth…it almost felt like real hair. In another world, this doll could've been a princess, or maybe just an ordinary girl trapped within an oppressive household, forced to wear the same thing day after day, longing for her prince to come and break her free—

What the hell was she doing _that_ for? This doll was just a trick. Rika had seen through her, and had come with the doll in a vain attempt at a peace offering.

Well…that peace offering would just have to be rejected, now wouldn't it?

Mion tucked the doll under one arm. Satoko asked, "So why did you want us here?"

Mion reached with one hand into her back pants pocket. It had been sheer luck that she managed to remember where Shion had kept her taser. "I just wanted to talk," she said in an eerily calm tone.

"About what?" asked Rika.

Mion slowly lifted out the taser, still keeping it behind her back. "About…about how you _both_ are stealing Keiichi away from me. I just can't _allow_ that, now can I?"

Before either girl had a chance to react, Mion stunned them both. She couldn't help but be impressed at the weapon's effectiveness as the two girls fell to the floor unconscious. Shion had chosen well.

Mion allowed a smile. Now…they would pay.


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: This is the chapter that rightfully earns this story its M-rating. Strangulation is nothing compared to this. This IS Higurashi. You have been warned. Oh, and merry Christmas! Enjoy this twisted little "present" I have to offer...

* * *

8

_And now, I have the competition here and ready…or at least, part of the competition…pity I couldn't get Rena…_

_Even if you could, would you have the strength to finish off ALL of them in just one blow?_

Mion was pacing across the torture chamber. Rika lay unconscious in one of the cells, but it wouldn't be long until she woke up. Satoko was chained to the crucifix. She, too, was unconscious. Mion supposed she _could_ show a _little_ bit of compassion and mercy and peacefully kill Satoko in her sleep. A taser shot to the heart, perhaps…?

But no. She didn't _deserve_ mercy. After all she had done in taking Keiichi away from her, she _deserved_ to be awake. And to feel _pain._

The absolute _worst_ kind of pain possible.

Mion shivered slightly. It was a bit chilly down here. The coldness would wake them up soon enough.

Assuming the shock from the taser hadn't already killed them, that is.

The knife lay on the ground, just beside her foot. She wouldn't need it just yet, and she saw no use in tiring her arm out by carrying it around. From where the two young girls were trapped, they certainly wouldn't be capable of taking it when she wasn't looking.

She let out an irritated sigh and tapped her foot impatiently. Just when were they going to wake up? She had waited too long for this…that taser shock had _better_ not have killed them…

She stopped tapping. It wouldn't hurt to go check on poor, little Satoko, now would it? She bent down and picked up the knife by the blade. Cold, smooth steel, that tip of which ran dangerously close to the edge of her flesh.

She gripped it by the handle firmly and stood up to her knees. With a serene smirk, she walked across the chamber. She had no doubt this time that the footsteps she heard now were indeed her own. She took each step slowly, allowing one after the other to leave behind a harrowing echo.

It was just as she approached the crucifix that Satoko's eyelids slowly opened up. Mion said, "Ah, good, you're awake. Just as I had hoped."

"Mmph—wha—what's going on…" muttered Satoko. It was amusing to watch Satoko slowly realize she was chained and trapped, and that the girl whom she thought was one of her closest friends was now standing just in front of her with a knife. How fitting.

"You know why you're here, don't you?" said Mion in a calm voice. "You're here to pay for what you and Rika have done…no…for what you _both_ have been doing to me."

"M—Mi…"

"Don't play dumb," said Mion, using the same, calm voice, "You know why you're here. It's because of what you did." She chuckled, "To think, there was ever a day where I feared my reputation would be ruined because of what Shion did to you on the day you first met. Or that I ever felt angry towards her doing such a thing to you. Now that I look back on it, I wish no one had stopped her. I wish she had bashed your head in."

"But why…"

Mion used her free hand to slap Satoko across the face and she just about lost her cool: "Why? _Why? WHY?_ Because you stole him…you _all_ stole my Keiichi-kun away from me! I just wanted to be _happy_ with him, but you just _wouldn't allow that._ I wanted _someone_ to call "mine"…but you _all_ wanted him for yourselves, _didn't you?"_

"I…" Satoko's eyes did not widen, nor was she trembling in any way. Yet it was clear from her tone that the situation was becoming unsettling for her. "I…sorry if that's what you _thought,_ but…"

Mion did not speak. She lowered her head, and there was absolute silence. She could hear Satoko's breathing begin to grow irregular with fright. Why not leave the little brat in suspense for just a few minutes longer?

Finally, she spoke:

"Satoko…before we begin, I just thought I'd give you a little…history lesson. Our country is indeed glorious, is it not? We have great food, great technology, great entertainment…all of which is widely admired by other countries, particularly the Western ones."

She slid one thumb across the blade of her knife. "However…I wonder if we would still be as respected if those countries knew we occasionally do a little "borrowing" from time to time? Our own writing system was borrowed from China, after all—actually, many things of ours were borrowed from China. Borrowed literature…borrowed beliefs…borrowed styles and traditions…"

She held up the knife for Satoko to see. "And now, I will be more than happy to carry on that tradition—borrowing an old Chinese torture method. Are you familiar with the concept of "death by a thousand cuts"?"

Even if Satoko knew the answer, she was clearly too terrified to speak, and so Mion answered her own question: "It is a method wherein you take a knife," she ran said thumb across the blade once again, "and slowly cut off a piece of the flesh, one at a time. And if you are familiar enough with your biology, it is essential that you avoid cutting off any parts connected to an artery, which would lead to massive bleeding and almost instant death. No…they key is to leave to the victim alive and fully conscious for the ordeal." She smiled. And what was particularly disturbing about this smile was that she did not smile like a maniac. She smiled the way she smiled whenever a club activity began.

"Dear Satoko," she said mockingly, "consider yourself lucky: Was it not today that you were struggling with a history lesson? Now you get to actually _experience_ a piece of history _right here!"_

She took the knife and slid the edge of the blade across the flesh of Satoko's thigh, causing Satoko to gasp and whimper.

"Baby," scoffed Mion, and she slid the sharpest edge straight into the flesh and gradually slid it across, listening to Satoko's cry of pain. Grinning, she stripped off the layer of skin like she was carving a turkey. She moved on to the skin just a few inches down below her knees. This was easier than she had thought, not to mention the layer of flesh fell to the ground almost like a leaf in the fall.

This…was what _true_ justice felt like. This…was…vengeance…!

_YES DO IT MORE DO IT MORE KILL KILL KILL TORTURE MAIM KIIIIILLLLLL_

Like an artist with a brush to the canvas, she carved off the flesh on Satoko's upper right arm, revealing glorious, beautiful muscles underneath. She had been careful to avoid cutting any arteries, of course; then her suffering would end _much _too soon for her liking.

"Mi—Mion—I—I'm sorry!" gasped Satoko.

"Go ahead, say you're sorry," said Mion in a sweet tone as the skin on Satoko's calves went next, "Maybe I'll stop enjoying myself long enough to actually _listen_ this time!"

She laughed as she went for the edge of the leg…the feet…the upper left shoulder…

"Stop it."

Mion was snapped out of her frenzy by an adult voice. An adult, female voice. She turned around. There was no one there…no one but she, Satoko, and Rika. No one else whom she knew of.

"Come over here. To my cell."

Wait…_Rika?_

Dumbfounded, Mion dropped the knife and walked over to the cell where Rika now stood. She was awake, and standing up on her own two feet, looking unnaturally mature, even for one mature for her age.

"Mion," said Rika in the same, strong adult tone, "Allow me to trade places with Satoko. Let me die in her place. Do not look at me like that—I have no intentions of running away as soon as you let me go. I will stay, and die for Satoko. In fact…I would even appreciate the option of choosing my own execution method."

It was like this wasn't even Rika talking at all; it was as though a miniature adult had snuck in and traded places with her. Still in a state of stunned awe by Rika's sudden maturity, Mion opened up the cell and took Rika by the hand, like she was a child, over to where Satoko was tied up and in too much of a state of shock to properly respond to the situation.

Rika let go of Mion's hand and walked over to a familiar-looking device. It struck Mion as to what this was and where it had been used just as Rika spoke:

"I will tear out all ten of my fingernails, and then stab myself, in exchange for Satoko's life."

Yes…Mion remembered _that _device all too well. She remembered the feeling of practically having her own flesh torn off, all so her sister wouldn't be alone in her suffering…

Before she could register just what Rika was doing, she heard a sickening _thud_ and _crack._ She turned to see a bloody mark where Rika's thumbnail once lay. And yet, Rika showed no sign of being in any pain or discomfort from it, and in fact began to pick it up with more speed in between each fingernail's removal.

_CRACK…_the left index finger.

_CRACK…_the middle left finger. Botched.

_CRACK…_the middle left finger. Done right.

Each crack that ensued left Mion with a feeling of bile rising up in her throat. She wasn't sure how, but she managed to suppress it as Rika was down to three fingernails…two…one…

_CRACK…_the right, smallest finger.

Wordlessly, Rika took Mion's knife—Mion thew up a little in her mouth to see bloody remains of where Rika's fingernails used to be—and thrust it through her stomach. Blood spread through her dress and she fell to the floor, panting. Rika looked up at Satoko and Mion. She was…smiling.

"I'll see you both in the next Hinamizawa."

Rika's eyes rolled in the back of her head and she fell the ground on her back. As much as she hated to admit it, Mion admired Rika on a level for how she had faced her death. She had not felt sorry for herself, and did not flinch no matter how painful it had been. She had died by her own hand, rather than that of her enemy's. And she had not died with a painful expression, but with a peaceful smile.

"Going out like a traditional hero, huh?" muttered Mion. She bent down and picked up the knife. Rika had died to spare Satoko's life…too bad _that_ little sacrifice would be in vain.

She walked up to Satoko, still in a state of shock. "Satoko," she said, "I only said Rika would die in your place; I never said I wasn't going to kill you after I was done with her."

With one, quick move, she sliced open Satoko's shirt.

With two, quicker moves, she cut open her chest and tore out her heart with one hand.


	10. Chapter 9

9

Tick…tock…

Those two sounds…sounds that had never seemed so maddening until now…

Tick…tock…

The time was five-thirty. Oryou had not woken up yet.

Tick…tock…

Mion stood at the phone. Rena was left. All she had to do was just call Rena, and then…

And then what?

Kill her, obviously.

Rika and Satoko's bodies now lay at the bottom of the well. They'd be getting lonely without another traitor's company.

Mion picked up the phone. She hesitated. It just seemed too good to be true. The competition was nearly wiped out. It was just one more person and then…then it would all be over. She would have Keiichi to herself.

But what if it was too late? What if he had already fallen for one of them? What if he was too busy mourning their death to pay any attention to her?

Well…grief passed. He'd get over it. She would be there for him. Provide him support, give him a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to, someone to love…

Mion dialled Rena's home phone number and waited…waited…waited…

"Hello?"

"Rena," said Mion, "It's Mion. I need you to come over right away. It's urgent."

"Urgent?" said Rena's perky voice which now grated Mion's nerves. "What could it be, I wonder, I wonder?"

"Just…get over here," said Mion tensely before hanging up. She sighed and leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down to the floor. The doll that had started all this lay next to her. It had been left behind when Mion took the girls down. A stupid move, now that she thought about it. What if Oryou had woken up and seen it? What if she had asked about…?

What had become of Shion's body? Was it still in the dumpster? Or was it at the dump, collecting maggots and—

Again, Mion felt that itching. This time, the itchy feeling spread up to her neck and she scratched. The sharp edges of her nails massaged the itch, yet did not relieve it. If anything, the itch grew stronger with each attempt she made to scratch it.

When she had picked up Shion's body to put in the bag, had there already been maggots infesting within her? Had those maggots somehow transferred over into Mion's bloodstream?

"Damn maggots," grunted Mion, scratching harder and harder. Her breathing grew shorts as she chanted, "Maggots, maggots, maggots, maggots, maggots, maggots, maggots, maggots, maggots, maggots—"

She jumped up at the sound of a knock on the door. She grabbed the doll and marched over to the door, trying to ignore the sensation of maggots infesting her blood, trying to poison her to kill her as mercilessly as she had killed her sister. She opened the door…

"K—Kei-chan!" she gasped, hiding the doll behind her back.

"Yes, I was over at Rena's just now, and she told me about the call," explained Keiichi, "Since you're my friend, too, I thought I should go over with her. You've been acting really weird, Mion. Are you okay?"

Keiichi…worried about _her?_

Only because _she_ pretended to be concerned and strung him along.

Wait, was she holding?

"R—Rena-chan," said Mion nervously, "What are you holding?"

"This?" said Rena as she held up what looked like a cleaver. "Oh, this is just a hooked machete I found in the dump a while ago. I was just showing it to Keiichi."

Showing? Plotting to murder?

"Mion, what's that behind your back?" asked Rena.

"This?" said Mion, bringing out the doll. "Oh, uh…Rika was here just now. She gave me this doll because she didn't want it. Anyway…I found a dead body in the underground torture room."

"A dead body?" said Keiichi. "Takano?"

"Um, I don't know," lied Mion as she stepped further outside. "Want to come with me so we can check it out together?"

* * *

The knife was still in the torture chamber, lying right next to the crucifix. Mion remembered this as she led Keiichi and Rena down below, chatting them up, making sure they wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"I thought I saw a body over there, in the well," Mion pointed over to the well. "Just go a bit of a ways down there, but watch your step." She handed the doll over to Keiichi. "Here, hold this for me; I'll be right back."

She ran past them to where Satoko had once been chained up. She felt like giving herself a pat on the back for how neatly the crucifix had been cleaned up. A slight, yellow stain remained, but even that could barely be noticed as blood.

She bent down and picked up the knife. That, however, had not been cleaned. The blood on it had now dried, like paint. Yes, it merely looked as though it had been dipped into a paint bucket. Not that either of them would buy that excuse.

She chuckled to herself. If she had to kill Rena in front of Keiichi, so be it. He would understand. In Rena's final moments, she would show herself for whom she truly was, and Keiichi would cease to love her. He would realize how noble Mion was to go so far for him, and end up in her arms. It was all too perfect.

She waited a few seconds before quietly walking through the chamber, her feet echoing on the stony ground. Her heart sped up, her fingers curled around the cold metal, her nerves stood on end from the coldness of the underground, and from maggots underneath her skin.

_You're just about there…not much longer now…_

Down the tunnel…

_You have the bitch in the palm of your hand…_

A bit further…

_Just about…_

"M—Mion? What—"

_Now._

Mion flung her knife towards Rena, only for Rena to block it with her hooked machete at the last moment. Rena panted, "Mion…why…"

"You know why," growled Mion as she attempted to stab Rena again, and was blocked once again, "It's because you—no, it's because _you all_ stole Keiichi away from me!"

"Stole?" Rena blocked another shot. "What do you mean?"

"Like you don't know," scoffed Mion as she made another botched attempt, "I realized it the moment Keiichi gave the doll to Rika. It could've been anyone, but it _had_ to be Rika!"

She let out a yell and aimed for the head. Again, this was blocked. "I realized it then," she said coldly, "I realized you _all_ have a little thing for Keiichi. I loved him, and you all wanted to _steal him away from me."_

She was about to take another shot when she felt a pair of hands spin her around. "Mion," said Keiichi, his face wrenched with confusion and concern, "What did you do to Rika and Satoko?"

"They had to go, Kei-chan…no, Keiichi-_kun,"_ sneered Mion, "But I didn't do it for _me._ I did it for _you._ For _us._ Because I love _you."_

She searched Keiichi's face for a sign that he reciprocated her feelings.._any_ sign at all. But there was none. His eyes widened, his jaw fell slack, and he shook his head slowly as he backed away from the crazed young girl.

Mion's eyes narrowed. "I see," she said coldly, turning back to Rena, "I see now perfectly. I'm too late, aren't I? You've already seduced him away from me, haven't you?"

"I…Mion, we're just friends…" said Rena, her eyes pleading for the mercy Mion would not give.

"That's a lie," said Mion sharply, "You were _all_ lying to me." She tried once again to strike Rena, an attempt only partially successful—she had not penetrated any skin, but had managed to knock the hooked machete out of Rena's hands, and down the well. Defenceless, Rena fell to her knees. "Mion…please…"

It would soon be over.

Mion held up her knife…

Took aim…

Took the plunge…

* * *

"…K…Keiichi…"

Mion stood frozen with horror at the sight of a bleeding Keiichi on the ground, her knife jammed into his back. The idiot. The _idiot._

No…_she_ was the idiot. Nothing she could've done would have _ever_ convinced Keiichi to love her, not even this. Rena had won. She had lost. She just couldn't accept it.

"…Mi…Mion…" Keiichi coughed up blood. He smiled up at her weakly. "You…shouldn't have…because…"

"Keiichi-kun…" was the only sound to emit from Mion's lips.

"…I…have always…loved…you…" whispered Keiichi. And his eyes were not fixed on _Rena_ as he spoke these words.

His eyes had been fixed on Mion.

_Solely_ on Mion.

And now…his once life-filled eyes began to fade out.

Shaking, Mion slowly pulled the knife out of his back. That cold metal now seemed no longer like a friend to her, but as a hateful foe.

"Mi…Mion…"

Mion looked up. She let out an angry scream and plunged the knife straight into Rena's heart. Rena fell over backwards and down, down into the well. Mion barely even heard the crash as she fell to her knees and cradled Keiichi's lifeless body. She let a cry of despair and buried her face into Keiichi's chest, sobbing as she remembered all the events that had led up to this. The murder of her friends…the murder of Satoko…Rika's suicide…Shion's murder…the little things, every little thing that counted between the girls and Keiichi…

And finally…

That doll.

That _wretched_ doll which should have _never_ come into being.

That doll which Keiichi was still hanging onto.

Her hands curled around his and stroked the delicate lace and frills of the doll he held. So soft…so smooth…like the skin of his hand…

She had ruined everything. She should've realized Keiichi did love her after all. She should've seen past her jealousy, and yet she hadn't. Nothing could ever go back to the way it was now. Ever.

She gently pried the doll out of Keiichi's hands and lay it on the ground, smoothing out the fine curls and petticoats. She looked down at Keiichi's body. It would all end right here.

She gently pushed his body over the edge and waited several seconds to here its landing.

She picked up the doll and hugged it tightly to her chest. Then, she closed her eyes…and took a few steps forward…

* * *

Oryou had been the one to make the gruesome discovery at the bottom of the well. After waking up from a nice, long nap, she had waited another full hour for Mion's return. When there was no sign of her granddaughter, she searched the entire house and the area surrounding it, before finally checking in the torture chamber. Horrified, she had called the police, who confirmed very little.

They confirmed the deaths, and possibly pinpointed the killer, but barely understood the motivation.

They confirmed the time of deaths, but not the time of the decision to kill.

Mostly…

They had confirmed that the final person to fall into the well was Mion Sonozaki.

And that she had been found with a content expression, hugging a doll tightly as though she intended to sleep with it…forever…

__

_The most intricate thing to find in this world._

_Is it a needle that you lost in the desert?_

The most intricate thing to find in this world.

_Is it a crow's feather that you lost in the darkness of the night?_

The most intricate thing to find in this world is,

_Realizing your own erroneous contemplation._

-Frederica Bernkastel

**THE END**

_Credit song: "Dear You (Feel)"__

* * *

_

A/N: And so ends the darkest, most morbid story I have ever written, not counting my "Ten Little Somethings" re-writes, because even those had somewhat lighter tones compared to this. Truthfully, I could have done better with this. I felt it was a bit rushed, and I didn't totally have my heart into it, but I gave it my best shot. Dark as it is, however, it is comforting to know about Matsuriyabashi-hen…and then, "Waiting" (shameless plug, lol).

Also ends is my last fanfic for 2010. I have a few plans in mind for 2011, but only I know for certain what they will be. Stay tuned…


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